CN100387454C - Vehicle door assembly manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a method of manufacturing a vehicle door is disclosed. An interior door member including, for example, a window lift mechanism, a locking assembly and a horizontal energy absorbing member is attached to a door base plate. A finished outer door panel having a Class A surface is bonded to the substrate, and a door interior component is disposed between the finished outer door panel and a portion of the door substrate. Finally the assembled door is attached to the painted body.

Description

Vehicle door assembly manufacturing method

technical field

This invention relates to vehicle doors and, more particularly, to a method of manufacturing vehicle doors which reduces assembly time and complexity.

Background technique

Typically, automobile manufacturing methods require that the doors be assembled before the automobile is painted. Therefore, the door substrate (door substrate), which follows the shape of the door, is connected to the vehicle by a pair of hinges. When the body is painted differently, the doors are also painted. During the painting process, the doors must rotate about their hinges to open and close to ensure that the body and doors are completely coated. Those skilled in the art will thus appreciate that these operations greatly increase the complexity of the automated painting system and the painting lanes associated therewith, resulting in increased production time and costs.

After the body and doors are painted, a number of mechanisms related to the function of the assembled door must be attached to the door base plate and exterior panels. Typically the painted door rotates about its hinges and the interior door elements are inserted into the door base plate through through holes in the door base plate. The time required to assemble interior door components such as window lift mechanisms, locking assemblies and control mechanisms adds significantly to production time and thus production costs. After the interior door element is assembled, the vehicle interior trim element is attached to the inner surface of the door substrate to cover the door substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to align and align the assembled door assembly to ensure proper fit while completing the assembly of the body.

Contents of the invention

There is therefore a need for a vehicle door assembly and method of manufacture that does not have the aforementioned disadvantages. Also providing a door assembly that is inexpensive, easy to manufacture and increases overall flexibility in vehicle design and component assembly. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle door assembly and a method of producing the same.

According to the invention, there is provided a method of producing a vehicle door, comprising the steps of: attaching at least one inner door element to a door base plate; A machined surface exterior door panel is attached to the door base plate, the finished exterior door panel and the door base plate forming a door assembly forming an interior cavity within the door for mounting interior door components; and After the finished exterior door panel is mounted to the door base plate, the door assembly is mounted to the vehicle.

According to the present invention there is also provided a method of producing a vehicle door comprising the steps of: connecting interior door elements to a door base plate having an interior door element support structure defining a plurality of A fixing member configured for an interior door element; bonding a fabricated exterior door panel with a class A finish to the substrate to form a door assembly wherein the interior door element is disposed on the fabricated exterior door panel and a portion of the door substrate; the fabricated exterior door panel is coated with at least one water-based interior coating or solvent-based interior coating prior to installation of the fabricated exterior door panel to the door substrate layer; and after the finished exterior door panel is bonded to the door substrate, the door assembly is mounted on the car.

According to the invention, there is also provided a method of producing a vehicle door, comprising the steps of: attaching at least one inner door element to a door substrate; after attaching the inner door element to the door substrate, attaching a manufactured mounting an exterior door panel having a Class A finish to the door base plate to form a door assembly; and mounting the door assembly to a vehicle after mounting the finished exterior door panel to the door base plate.

Description of drawings

After reading the following description and associated drawings, those skilled in the art can clearly understand other advantages of the present invention:

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 represent the exploded view according to the vehicle door assembly method of the present invention;

Figures 3 and 4 show perspective views of front and rear doors made in accordance with the present invention; and

Figures 5 and 6 show cross-sectional views of a vehicle door manufactured according to the invention.

Detailed ways

Figures 1 and 2 show exploded perspective views of front and rear doors assembled in accordance with the present invention. A horizontal assembly workbench 10 is shown. Disposed on the bench fixtures 12 and 14 is a door base plate 16 and an outer door panel 18 assembled therewith. The door base plate 16 includes a frame portion 19 and a window frame portion 20 . The inner door element support structure 22 is arranged inside the frame part 19 and fits on a frame inner surface 24 . The element support structure 22 includes a plurality of mounting points 26, which may be threaded fasteners (external or internal) or holes for receiving snap elements, such as pine tree fasteners.

Mounting points 26 are used to attach an interior door element 28 to the door substrate 16 . In this regard, the inner door member 28 may be a window lift mechanism 30, a locking assembly 32, a horizontal energy absorbing member 34, an outer door panel attachment member 36, or an expandable safety restraint (not shown). out), but not limited to this. In addition, bracket portion 19 includes external alignment holes 38 for attaching door hinge 40 and support bracket 41 to door base plate 16 .

It will be apparent that the door panel 16 is formed from stamped steel or reinforced synthetic polymer. In the case of synthetic polymers, the door panel 16 comprises a reinforced thermoset resin or thermoformed matrix reinforced with low modulus chopped or continuous fibers. The fibers may be glass, carbon or polyamide materials or mixtures thereof. Alternatively, the door substrate may be formed from a reinforced polymer coated with a gel coat layer, a barrier layer and a chopped fiber reinforcement layer. A vehicle door having a preformed interior trim surface may be fabricated using the polymeric door substrate 16 . A significant advantage of this design is that water and noise can be prevented from penetrating into the vehicle passenger space. However, this also entails the disadvantage of inconvenient repairs of the inner door element 28 in the door. Accordingly, the repair access hole 43 should be fitted or defined in the inner door element support structure 22 prior to attaching the inner door element 28 to the door substrate 16 . These through openings are covered by an internal trim panel 45 arranged on the inner surface 47 of the door base plate 16 .

Also shown is a window 42 comprised of first and second window assemblies 44 and 46 . The first window assembly 44 is an element formed of glass or a clear polymer material and is fixedly mounted within the window bracket portion 20 . Additionally, the first window assembly 44 is a generally U-shaped member that includes a raised surface 48 that conforms to the exterior shape of the vehicle. The inner edge 50 of the first window assembly 44 has a resilient gasket 52 for sealing the outer edge 54 of the second window assembly 46 to the first window assembly 44 .

In this regard, the second window assembly 46 is generally planar so that it can be used on the left or right side of the vehicle. The second window assembly 46 is mounted on the door base plate 16 and is controlled to slide by the window lifting mechanism 30 . The illustrated window lifter mechanism 30 has a manual crank 56, and those skilled in the art know that electrically controlled and driven lifters can be used.

Placing the door assembly on the bench 10 allows for faster insertion of the interior door element 28 into the interior door element support structure 22 compared to installing the door on the vehicle. While obviously requiring manual attachment of the interior door element 28 to the door substrate 16 , the method disclosed herein may use an automated insertion system to insert and attach the interior door element 28 to the element support structure 22 .

After the inner door member 28 is secured to the door base plate 16 , the outer door panel 18 is mounted to the door base plate 16 . The outer door panel 18 may be mounted to the door base plate 16 using a threaded connection, a snap fit, or a suitable adhesive.

In this regard, the exterior door panel 18 is a finished component and has a Class A finish. Thus, the exterior door panel 18 does not require post-assembly painting or surface treatment. Preferably the exterior door panel 18 is of reinforced polymer construction and the interior and exterior coatings are spray applied, or molded or vacuum applied with a thin film layer. Spray-applied inner coats are either water-based or solvent-based, while spray-applied outer coats can be alkyd, polyester, heat-set acrylic, or thermoplastic acrylic .

3 and 4 show perspective views of front and rear doors made in accordance with the present invention; window 42 consisting of first and second window assemblies 44 and 46 is shown. The first window assembly 44 is mounted on the door assembly along the window bracket portion 20 . The illustrated second window assembly 46 is disposed between the outer door panel 18 and the door panel 16 .

5 and 6 show cross-sectional views of left and right vehicle doors manufactured according to the present invention. The diagram shows the connection relationship between the outer door panel 18 and the door base plate 16 . It can be clearly seen that the outer door panel 18 and the door base plate 16 form an interior cavity 58 surrounding the inner door element 28 .

The door assembly is manufactured by first securing the door base plate 16 to the clamps 12 and 14 on the horizontal assembly table 10 . An inner door element 28 is connected to the inner door element support structure 22 . These interior door elements 28 include some and all elements for the proper functioning of the door. The first window assembly is mounted to the window bracket portion 20 of the door base panel 16, while the second window assembly 46 is disposed within the assembled door interior.

After connecting the inner door element 28 to the inner door element support structure 22, the finished outer door panel 18 is attached to the door base plate 16, thus placing the inner elements on the finished outer door panel and part of the door base plate 16. between. The door assembly with the prefabricated exterior panel 18 is then attached to the vehicle with the attached hinge 40 .

The foregoing description discloses only typical embodiments of the invention. According to the discussion of the description, the attached drawings and claims, those skilled in the art can easily know that different transformations, modifications and variations all do not exceed the concept and scope of the present invention.

Claims (21)

1. A method for producing a car door, comprising the steps of: connecting at least one interior door element to a door base plate; after attaching the inner door element to the door base plate, attaching to the door base plate a fabricated outer door panel having a class A finish, the fabricated outer door panel and the door base plate forming the door assembly, forming a cavity in the door for receiving interior door components; and After the finished exterior door panel is mounted to the door base plate, the door assembly is mounted to the vehicle. 2. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 1, wherein the interior door element is selected from the group consisting of window lift mechanisms, locking assemblies, horizontal energy absorbing components, safety restraints. 3. The method of producing a vehicle door of claim 1, further comprising attaching at least one interior trim element to the vehicle door substrate. 4. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 1, characterized in that, after the interior door element is attached to the door substrate, a finished exterior panel having a class A finish is mounted on the The step of attaching the door substrate includes bonding the fabricated exterior panel to the door substrate. 5. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 1, wherein the door substrate comprises an interior element support structure comprising a plurality of mounting points for mounting the interior door element. 6. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 1, said method further comprising: Prior to mounting the finished exterior door panel to the door substrate, the finished exterior door panel is coated with at least one water-based or solvent-based interior coating. 7. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 1, further comprising: Prior to mounting the finished exterior door panel on the door substrate, the finished exterior door panel is coated with an outer coating selected from the group consisting of alkyd resin coating, polyester Ester coating, heat set acrylic coating and thermoplastic acrylic coating. 8. A method of producing a car door, comprising the steps of: connecting interior door elements to a door base plate having an interior door element support structure defining a plurality of mounts configured to receive the interior door elements; bonding a finished exterior door panel having a Class A finish to the substrate to form a door assembly, wherein an interior door element is disposed between the finished exterior door panel and a portion of the door substrate; coating the fabricated exterior door panel with at least one water-based or solvent-based interior coating prior to mounting the fabricated exterior door panel on the door substrate; and After gluing the finished exterior door panel to the door substrate, the door assembly is mounted to the vehicle. 9. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 8, characterized in that the inner door element is a window lifter. 10. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 8, wherein the inner vehicle door element is a locking assembly. 11. The method of producing a vehicle door of claim 8, further comprising attaching at least one interior trim element to the vehicle door substrate. 12. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 8, further comprising: Prior to mounting the finished exterior door panel on the door substrate, the finished exterior door panel is coated with an outer coating selected from the group consisting of alkyd resin coating, polyester Ester coating, heat set acrylic coating and thermoplastic acrylic coating. 13. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 8, further comprising: The door base plate is made of stamped steel. 14. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 8, wherein the door substrate comprises a reinforcing polymer. 15. The method of manufacturing a vehicle door according to claim 14, wherein the reinforcing polymer comprises one of a thermosetting resin and a thermoplastic resin. 16. The method of producing a vehicle door of claim 14, wherein the reinforcing polymer comprises at least one of chopped fiber reinforcement, continuous fiber reinforcement, or combinations thereof. 17. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 14, wherein the reinforcing polymer comprises a gel coat layer, a barrier layer and a chopped fiber reinforcement layer. 18. A method of producing a vehicle door comprising the steps of: connecting at least one interior door element to a door base plate; After attaching the inner door element to the door base plate, attaching a fabricated outer door panel having a Class A finish to the door base plate to form a door assembly; and, After the finished exterior door panel is mounted to the door base plate, the door assembly is mounted to the vehicle. 19. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 18, wherein the interior door element is selected from the group consisting of a window lift mechanism, a locking assembly, a horizontal energy absorbing member, a safety restraint. 20. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 18, characterized in that after said inner door element is attached to the door substrate, a finished outer panel having a class A finish is mounted to said The step of attaching the door substrate includes bonding the fabricated exterior panel to the door substrate. 21. The method of producing a vehicle door according to claim 18, further comprising: Prior to mounting the finished exterior door panel on the door substrate, the finished exterior door panel is coated with an outer coating selected from the group consisting of alkyd resin coating, polyester Ester coating, heat set acrylic coating and thermoplastic acrylic coating.

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